Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33692 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 168(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 112(@300wpm)
“We don’t open for another month,” Zane says. “And there’s nowhere else we need to be that’s more important than right here.”
“Exactly,” Alyssa says. “We weren’t going to let you go through this alone.”
“That means a lot, you guys. Thank you.”
“You didn’t think we wouldn’t be here, did you, old man?” Zane says.
“My question is, why aren’t you in the room with her?” Alyssa asks, her eyebrow arched and her tone light and teasing.
I purse my lips and look away for a moment.
“Out with it,” Zane presses.
“Because she had them toss me out. She said I was making her more nervous by being in the room with her,” I admit. “In my defense, this is a high-stress situation, and I’ve got zero experience with it. I think it’s understandable.”
“You yelled at the nurses, didn’t you?” Zane says with a laugh.
“I didn’t yell,” I grumble.
My son and his fiancée share a look and a laugh. “He yelled,” they say in unison.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. You guys are hilarious.”
“She’s giving birth. That’s pretty high stress for her too, you know,” Alyssa says. “I’m sure your frantic not-yelling-yelling wasn’t doing her any favors.”
“I know, I know. I just… I mean… I didn’t get the chance to be there with you, kid, so this is all new to me,” I say.
“It’s like you always tell me, old man. All you have to do is just be there for her. She’ll tell you what she needs,” Zane says. “It’s pretty good advice.”
“I’m better at giving advice than applying it to my life.”
“Clearly,” Alyssa says with a laugh.
“I’m glad you two are enjoying this.”
“It’s always nice to see you nervous and twitchy,” Zane says. “It reminds us that although you’re like a cyborg most of the time, you actually are human.”
I laugh. “I’m not like a cyborg.”
“Yeah, you kind of are sometimes,” Alyssa says with a grin. “Personally, I like seeing you nervous and jumpy. It’s adorable. I like knowing you have a soft and squishy side. And I know Cassie likes that too.”
“Mr. Teague?”
My heart leaps into my throat as I spin around to see a nurse standing in the doorway of the waiting room. Her face is serious for a moment before she breaks into a broad smile.
“How is she doing?” I ask. “I mean, how are they doing?”
“Would you like to meet your daughter?” she asks.
“Daughter?”
“You and Cassie have a baby girl,” she replies with a warm expression. “But I can only allow two in at a time.”
“Oh my God,” I gasp. “I have a daughter.”
Her words hit me like a freight train and knock the breath from my lungs. My knees are weak and my legs suddenly start shaking so hard, I almost fall over. I hold myself upright, though just barely. Still, I double over and put my hands on my knees, taking long, deep breaths as I try to gather myself. Zane is beside me with a hand on my shoulder.
“You okay, old man?” he asks.
I nod as I stand upright again. “Yeah. I’m good. It’s just… it’s a lot.”
Alyssa squeals and throws her arms around me. “Congratulations!”
I pull her into a tight but shaky embrace, still trying to process it all. I’m a dad. I mean, I was before, but I wasn’t able to be a real dad to Zane. Now, I get the chance to do everything I didn’t get to do with him. I actually get to be a father.
“You’re a girl dad, old man,” Zane says with a chuckle. “You up for this?”
“Honestly? No.”
Zane steps forward and pulls me into a tight but manly hug. “You’re going to be great. For what it’s worth, we may have had a delayed and rocky start to our relationship, but you’ve been a great dad to me once we got past it all. I’m proud to call you my dad, and I know you’re going to be a great father to this little girl.”
I laugh, shaking my head and pulling him into a hug. “I love you, kid. With all my heart.”
“I love you too, old man. Now, get in there and meet your daughter before she’s old enough to collect social security,” he says. “And be quick about it. I want to meet my little sister.”
With a fond look at Zane and Alyssa, I follow the nurse down the hall and into Cassie’s room. I hesitate at the doorway, my heart pounding so hard and so loud, that I’m sure the people in the cardiac unit can hear it. The nurse pats me on the back reassuringly.
“It’s okay, go on in,” she says. “But five minutes. Mom needs her rest.”
Trembling so hard I nearly fall over several times, I finally make it to Cassie’s bedside. She looks up at me, her eyes red and puffy, tears still streaming down her face. In her arms, she’s holding our baby. Our little girl. She’s so small and delicate. So fragile. I’m afraid of touching her, lest I break her, so I stand with my hands on the hospital bed railing.